Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient SUVs and Crossovers for 2011

From Edmunds.com

There was a time not so long ago when SUVs were pretty much synonymous with poor fuel economy. These days, however, the situation has changed; there's no shortage of fuel-efficient SUVs and crossovers on the road, and many have hybrid technology to thank.

The 10 models lead all others when it comes to fuel economy. We arrived at our rankings using the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. We utilized the EPA's combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway/combined ratio.

Note that the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are tied for first place; they share the same fuel economy because they share the same platform. The same is true of the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain, which are tied in seventh place.

Ford Escape Hybrid
34/31/32 (tie)

Mercury Mariner Hybrid
34/31/32 (tie)

Lexus RX 450h
32/28/30

Nissan Juke
27/32/29

Toyota Highlander Hybrid
28/28/28

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
25/31/27

Hyundai Tucson
23/31/26

Chevrolet Equinox
22/32/26 (tie)

GMC Terrain
22/32/26 (tie)

Jeep Patriot
23/29/25

Copyright Edmunds.com, Inc. All rights reserved. First published on www.edmunds.com and excerpted with permission. http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-most-fuel-efficient-suvs-and-crossovers-for-2011.html